I Still Love You
by JustAnotherWriter447
Summary: Emily is living in California and unexpectedly she get's a phone call from Alison asking her to come back to Rosewood for her wedding. But Emily is still in love with her, will she tell her before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1:- The News

**A/N- I've read a few stories which follow a similar story line about Emily coming back home for Ali's wedding so I wanted to give it a shot because I've always enjoyed those stories. I hope you guys enjoy this.**

Emily never liked working at the bar. Since she was failing college she had to find a job but this was never what she pictured. Listening to drunken stories of relationships that didn't work out wasn't was she exactly pictured she'd be doing when she was younger. But this is how it seemed to work out and Emily had to accept it; yet she couldn't. Living on the other side of the country with no friends and no contact with anyone from Rosewood apart from Hanna and her mom was the hardest thing that had happened to her -apart from -A of course- in her not so long life.

Although work and her lack of contact with Rosewood weren't the only things that tormented her mind daily; another one was a specific blonde girl who had -from the very first day that they had met- stole her heart. Alison DiLaurentis. Emily briefly kept in touch with her when she first moved to California but they were both so busy with their lives that they drifted; quickly. It was a shame; Emily missed her so much and she still does. She just can't get the blonde out of her mind. Every day she wonders if Alison feels the same way. But from the lack of contact she thinks that the answer to that question is no. Emily tried her best to text and call but it just didn't work out and hurt Emily in a way she never knew was possible.

"You can go now." A voice suddenly said drawing Emily out of her thoughts.

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow." Emily said as she grabbed her bag and left work. As she walked outside she pulled out her phone and checked to see if she had any new messages. She turned on her phone to find the daily "I love you, have a great day." from her mom and a surprising message. She couldn't believe what she was seeing; it was a voice mail from Alison. Quickly she dialled and threw the phone to her ear.

' _Hey, Em. It's Ali, I have something important to tell you so I was wondering if you could call me back. I hope you're doing well in California. I'll hopefully speak to you soon.'_

Hearing the blondes voice for the first time in over a year was amazing; she truly missed it. However, she wondered what was so important that after such a long-time Alison had decided to call her. Emily dialled the blondes number as she walked along the beach. Quickly she noticed that her heart began to race and butterflies appeared in her stomach; she didn't know why she was so nervous since she had known the blonde her whole life yet she couldn't help it.

' _Emily, I'm glad you called me back. How are you?'_ The familiar voice drew the brunette out of her thoughts.

"I'm okay, thanks. You?"

' _I'm great actually. I was calling you earlier because I have some really exciting news to tell you.'_ The blonde paused for a minute.

' _I'm getting married!'_ Emily couldn't believe what she had just heard. The words felt like hundreds of knifes repeatedly stabbing her in the heart.

"Wow, uh that's great." Emily said lying; as much as she wanted to be happy for Alison, she just couldn't because she was still in love with her.

' _I know that you finish school soon, so I was wondering if you wanted to fly to Rosewood for the summer so that you could be at the engagement party and then the wedding which we're planning for closer to the end of summer?'_ How convenient, Emily couldn't just fly in for the wedding and then go home; she is going to have to stay there for the full summer. Dread began to fill the brunette.

"I- I'd love to." Emily replied trying to make it sound as believable as possible.

' _Great, that really means a lot to me, Em. The girls are coming into Rosewood as well so it'll be great catching up with everyone.'_ The thought of seeing the rest of her friends made the thought of spending a full summer with the love of her life who is about to marry someone else a bit more bearable.

"Yeah, it'll be great. I have to go but I guess I'll see you soon." The brunette was now trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible so that she could go and drown her feelings in Vodka.

' _Yeah, I'll see you soon.'_ The blonde said in an excited tone as she hung up.

Emily couldn't believe that Alison was engaged to someone. She couldn't believe that she had fallen in love with a man and never even thought about the brunette. A lot had changed since Emily left Rosewood after her father's funeral nearly two years ago; back then Alison wasn't even seeing anyone and now she's getting married! The pure thought of Alison being with someone else made Emily want to throw up. Walking back to the bar she tried to hold back tears. _This seriously cannot be happening right now._ She thought to herself.

She chucked her bag on to the stool beside her and ordered a full bottle of vodka.

"Emily, you okay?" Her manager asked her.

"Perfectly fine." She spat back as she took a swig of the strong alcohol. She could already feel the burning liquid flowing through her veins.

After drinking nearly, the full bottle Emily was most definitely drunk.

"I hate my life." She slurred. "I hate it so much. I'm failing my classes, I work at a bar and the love of my life is currently engaged to some stupid guy on the other side of the country." She could feel her head spinning yet she continued to drink.

"Emily, you've had enough. I'm going to take you home." Her boss said as he pulled the nearly empty bottle of vodka out her hand.

"No, that's the only thing helping me right now. I can't deal with the thought of her marrying some guy who I don't even know. I just love her so much and I want her to be with me, not him. Me!" She began to shout as tears streamed down her face. Even though her boss could barely understand what she was saying he could see how much she was hurting and in his whole career as a bartender -in which he listened to many story's like this- Emily was the only person to show pure and genuine love towards the person she was talking about.

Once Emily got to her apartment she had sobered up a bit. She couldn't believe that she had turned into one of the people that she people that she listens to on a daily basis. She walked in to her bedroom and threw herself on her bed. She turned her head towards her night stand on which there was a photo from high school; in it was Emily with her arms around Alison as they both laughed. A sad smile formed on Emily's face as she sighed.

"Why can things be like they were back then again?"


	2. Chapter 2:- The Meeting

**A/N; hey guys, hoped you enjoyed the first chapter. In this chapter Ali's fiance is mentioned and it is Elliott; he, in this, isn't Charlotte's doctor, it isn't how they met.**

The next morning Emily had booked a flight for Saturday morning (which was tomorrow). She figured a week off school wouldn't hurt since she was failing anyway. But she did dread going home; seeing Alison happy with someone else was most definitely a stab in the heart. She really didn't know how she would survive this summer; the only thing that would save her would be spending time with her mom. She really did miss her even though they texted each other every day.

As she packed she smiled at the thought of seeing Pam again. Her mother always made things better; her advice always worked even when Emily thought nothing would. She had to hope that in this case her advice and presence would also work.

Later, work was the only thing that took her mind away from the dreaded day she would have tomorrow. Listening to drunk costumers telling her their broken love stories made her cringe as she remembered that she done the exact same thing last night; her hangover was proof.

When her shift ended, she ended up finding herself thinking about the blonde again. You'd think that walking along the beach would clear your mind but it only made things worse. She hated this situation. Why would the blonde not even tell her she was seeing anyone when Emily was in Rosewood? They were best friends, weren't they? The brunette began to doubt everything between her and the blonde. It was a feeling she never thought she would have; the blonde always held such a special place in her heart and now she doubted everything. It hurt her beyond words.

NEXT DAY

"Emily!" Her mother cried as she ran across to her lawn to meet her daughter.

"Mom." Emily said tightly wrapping her arms around her mother. They were both beyond happy about seeing each other; it had been a long time. "I'm so glad to see you. I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, darling." Pam's smile was the biggest Emily had seen it since her father died. "Come on you must be hungry."

Emily walked into her dining room to find a fully prepared, homemade dinner on the table; a grin grew on her face.

"Mom, you didn't have too."

"Aww sweetie I did, I miss cooking for someone and I figured you were tired of microwave dinners." Emily laughed; her mom wasn't wrong.

After a bit of silence whilst Emily stuffed her face with the amazing dinner, Pam decided to speak up.

"Em, how are you dealing with this situation?"

"Fine." Emily replied bluntly without any emotions was so ever. Pam sighed; she hated seeing her daughter like this.

"Well, know that I'm always here for you and I believe everything will work out." The hopeful tone actually gave the brunette some reassurance but only for a few seconds. It wouldn't be ok; the love of her life was in love with someone else.

"Thanks, I think I'm going to go get some rest." The brunette had to do anything she could to leave this conversation.

She walked into her room and found it the way she left it just over a year ago; a smile formed on her face. Her room reminded her of the way things used to be and how she wished things still were.

She lay down on her bed and thought of tomorrow; she would most definitely need to face Alison and her new fiancé. She wanted to be sick at the mere thought of the blonde's _fiancé_ but there was nothing she could do except try to accept the situation.

The bright sunlight filled Emily's room the next morning. She quickly checked her phone to find a message she definitely did not want to see.

' _Hey, Em heard you're already in town. The girls are coming over to mines at 12, feel free to join us.'_

"Oh god." She just wanted to scream into her pillow; yes, she wanted to see her friends but Alison right now was a different story. She sighed; she couldn't say no.

'I'll be there.'

Looking at the time she had an hour and a half to mentally prepare herself for what was going to happen. However, forever would never be enough for her to prepare herself for this never mind an hour and a half. As she took a shower she only hoped that the fiancée would not be joining them today or preferably ever.

Before she knew it, it was time for her to leave. She walked as slowly as she could towards the blonde's house dreading how awkward their reunion will be. She knows that she can't keep a grudge against Alison but she just can't seem to stop herself from doing so; she is mad at the blonde and yes, she also made mistakes but she isn't the one getting married.

When she reached the front door, she hesitated; she could leave and say something came up but before she even got a chance to the door opened.

"Emily." A voice breathed. She looked deep into the bright blue eyes and saw genuine happiness.

"Hi." She managed to say before two arms wrapped around her. Alison's warm touch brought back a million memories and feelings. Before the brunette knew it, she was hugging the blonde back. A smile formed on Emily's face; for a second she forgot everything that was happening and she smiled. She was genuinely happy to see the blonde again.

The moment was quickly broken by the rest of the girls running outside to meet Emily. They were all beyond happy to see each other; it wasn't easy being away from their best friends for so long.

"So, Spence, how is Washington with Toby?" Hanna asked as she sat down on the couch beside Emily.

"It's a bit rocky, he's still adjusting but we'll get there." The girls smiled in a hopeful way.

"What about New York, Han? You're a big designer now."

"I'm not, not yet anyway but it's great."

The girls now looked over at the small brunette sitting in the corner.

"So, when did that happen?" Spencer said as she nodded towards the small but noticeable bump on Aria.

"Um honestly I don't even know."

"And the father is Liam, right?" Hanna asked quickly. Aria had recently been in Rosewood a lot due to work and had started hanging out a lot with Ezra.

"Yes, Hanna! Who do you think I am?" Aria said in shock; the blonde only shrugged and the girls laughed. Emily kept quiet; as happy as she was seeing the girls she didn't want to talk about her life but then the question was finally asked but someone she didn't really want to talk to.

"How's school, Em?" Alison asked with a smile to change the subject.

"It's um okay, I guess." Emily said without even looking at the blonde. Awkward silence filled the room; they girls wanted to talk about their lives like they used to but it had been a long time since they did that.

"So, Ali. Who's this fiancé of yours?" Hanna finally said breaking the silence. A huge grin appeared on Alison's face; Emily couldn't help but feel hurt.

"Well, he's a doctor and he's amazing; just so kind, loving and caring." Emily couldn't help but cringe at every word.

"That's great, we're all so happy for you." The blonde said as all the girls apart from Emily nodded in agreement with smiles on their faces. ' _Speak for yourself'_ Emily thought to herself.

The girls ended up spending the full day watching movies and chatting every so often; before they even knew it, it was 11pm and one by one they started leaving. But before Emily could even get up of the couch to leave Alison stopped her.

"Do you want to stay here tonight? Elliott is away and I wouldn't mind some company; I've missed you." Emily hesitated but at the look in the blonde's bright blue eyes, she melted.

"Sure, I'll stay." A huge smile formed on Ali's face and Emily couldn't help but smile back. Once they said their goodbyes with the girls, awkward silence filled the room once again.

"So, how have you been, Em? We haven't spoken in a while." Ali said looking down in a guilty manner.

"Um okay, I guess… you?"

"Good, I've been good. Em, I need to apologize to you."

"For what?"

"Not keeping in contact and not telling you I was dating someone."

"I should apologize too then." Ali smiled; it was good that they were trying to get past whatever this is but Emily still wasn't happy. "But I just want to know why didn't you text or call me?"

"I- I uh I felt like you were better off without me." Alison quickly said.

"What? Why?" Emily was genuinely hurt by what Alison had just said; she never was better off without her, she loved her after all. Alison paused for a minute and carefully thought about her answer.

"When you left, I had no one to tell me that nobody blamed me anymore for everything that had happened, I began to feel guilty again and that well you were better off without me." Everything the blonde had said she said without even looking at the brunette. Emily grabbed Alison's hand, and straight away her head shot up at Emily.

"I was never better off without you and I'm sorry that I didn't text or call you to stop that from happening." The blonde smiled; she wrapped her arms tightly around the brunette.

"I really missed you."

"I missed you too." After a few minutes of simply hugging, the front door opened.

"Babe, I'm home early." An unfamiliar voice said. Emily's heart sank; she figured it was Elliott. Alison pulled away and gave Emily a weird look; it was like she was happy to see Elliot but she also dreaded it.

A tall man walked in with a smile; it slightly faded when he noticed Emily.

"Oh, hi." He said with a puzzled expression.

"Elliott, this is Emily." Alison said with a smile.

"Oh! It's great to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you; Alison talks about you none stop." His English accent emphasised how excited he was to meet the brunette.

"It's nice to meet you too." Emily forced herself to say with a half-smile. "It's late, I better get going. I'll see you around." Emily said as she got up off the couch.

"Nice meeting you again." Elliott said with a big smile.

"You too." Emily quickly walked out. The whole walk home she couldn't stop thinking about what Elliott had said; Alison talked about her all the time. Just at the thought she smiled. Alison still loved Emily. Of course, she would never tell her that because she is getting married in just over a month but she really did. She talked about her all the time because she missed her and she just wanted to be with her. She wanted to see her and tell her how she felt but she could never do that because she believed that there was no way Emily loved her back; not anymore and not it that way anyway. Plus, now she had Elliott now, he loved her, cared for her and made her happy; that's love, right?


	3. Chapter 3:- See You Tomorrow

**A/N; This is sort of a linking chapter so its really short; I'll post the next one either tomorrow or on Sunday. Enjoy.**

The next few days were quiet, Emily spent time with her mom where she was far away from Alison; even though she badly wanted to see her since they made up, now that Elliott was back in the picture she wouldn't be able to see her, it would just her hurt even more than it does now.

Whilst sitting reading a book on the couch a light knock came from the door. Confused, she opened the door and found someone she was most definitely not expecting.

"Ali, um what are you doing here?"

"I came by to visit, I hadn't seen you in a few days." After their short but deep chat, all the feelings that Ali pushed to the very back of her brain and stored in a tiny sealed box began to escape and she just couldn't stay away from Emily. The brunette smiled at the blonde's words; she still truly cared.

"Come in."

"Where's your mom?" Alison asked as she walked into an empty living room.

"Shopping." An awkward silence filled the room; neither of them seemed to know what to talk about.

"What have you been doing since I left?" Emily finally asked and Alison smiled.

"I'm still studying English, I decided that I'm going to become a teacher." Alison spoke with pride about what she was doing and Emily couldn't help but smile.

"That's really great."

"How has school really been for you? I know you lied about it." Emily looked down in guilt.

"Not so great, after my dad died everything went downhill; I'm failing everything right now."

"When you go back to school, if you want, I can go visit and help you a bit?" Alison needed an excuse to see Emily after the wedding; she knew things would never go back to the way things were but she wanted them to so badly.

"I'd love that." Butterflies grew in Alison's stomach just at the thought of her going to see Emily in California.

"Great." Alison said with a smile.

"I think you'd really like California, the style and city would definitely suit you." Alison smiled; honestly, she could totally imagine herself living in California.

"Yeah, it would." Emily laughed. God, how Alison loved that laugh; she missed it more than she could ever have imagined. "Are you planning on staying in California after you finish school?"

"Um I haven't really thought about it, but I think I'd like to stay there." That hurt Ali; she would barely ever get to see the brunette. Before Alison could say anything else her phone buzzed;

' _When will you be home, babe? I miss you.'_

The blonde sighed; she didn't want to leave Emily. But she quickly remembered that she had to finish organising her engagement party. Suddenly she became sad for some reason. Ever since Emily came back to Rosewood she had been questioning her relationship with Elliott because of those escaping feelings. But every time she would tell herself that she did love Elliott because he loved her back.

"I need to go; the engagement party is tomorrow and I still have plenty to do."

"Oh, okay." Emily said with a sad smile; she didn't want Alison to leave either. "I'll see you tomorrow." Alison nodded and smiled. Slowly she left.

Emily was dreading tomorrow; seeing Alison happy with Elliott would most definitely hurt like hell and she didn't know if she was ready to face that.


	4. Chapter 4:- The Engagement Party

**A/N; Hi guys, hoped you enjoyed the last chapter and thank you for the reviews! I wish I could answer them all but I'm writing two stories at the time and I'm really busy so I don't have time to but to the guest who asked if I meant LA instead of California because California is not a city; I meant to write 'cities' instead of 'city' sorry about the mistake.**

The day had come. As Emily got ready dread filled her. Can you imagine the love of your life marrying someone else? Yeah, neither could she but it was happening. She hated how she could never bring herself to tell the blonde that she loved her but it was hard for her and she couldn't ruin her future; she seems happy with Elliott and if marrying him is what she wants she knows she is going to have to accept it.

Alison's back garden looked beautiful; small round tables were set up all around with beautiful small bouquets of her favourite flowers, fairly lights hung on the fences and trees and photos of her and Elliott were under them. Alison looked genuinely looked happy with him; Emily knew she should be happy for her but it felt as though someone was repeatedly stabbing her in heart each time she sees them or thinks about them.

"Em, finally! And I thought I take years to get ready." Hanna said as Emily walked over to the girls table; she gave her a goofy smile and which Hanna smiled back.

During the time that they waited for the happy couple Hanna kept a close eye on Emily; she knew everything. Even though Emily never admitted to her that she still loves Alison, Hanna could tell and she could see how much it hurt her when Alison spoke about Elliott. The brunette seemed nervous, like she didn't know how she would react when they show up together; her eyes wondered all over the garden patiently waiting and preparing herself.

Then the moment that she dreaded came; Alison and Elliott walked in hand in hand with big smiles on their faces whilst everyone cheered. Emily couldn't even bare to look at them; she thought she could get through this but it was becoming clear that she was wrong.

"Thank you everyone for coming, we are beyond happy to be sharing this amazing experience with you." Elliott said proudly; Alison just looked at him and smiled. "Enjoy the party guys!" he continued; Emily began hating him and his amazing English accent even more.

The couple began going around everyone and saying hi; this was Emily's chance to escape but before she could even move Alison and Elliott arrived at their table.

"Once again congratulations guys." Aria said with a huge smile on her face as she rubbed her small baby bump. The girls smiled and nodded in agreement; Emily tried her best to look happy for them but she wasn't sure it was working.

When Alison looked over at Emily her mood began to change; the thoughts and feelings that had been bothering her ever since Emily came back kept pouring out in her brain. She couldn't help but think that maybe she shouldn't get married but then when she looked over at Elliott he was so happy; how could she just leave him like that? The answer she gave herself was she couldn't. However, she still questioned her feelings for; did she really love him in that way?

When Emily left, Alison boxed up her feelings and tried to move on but it was hard because the feelings she had for the beautiful brunette were the strongest she had ever felt for anyone. When she met Elliott at The Brew one evening she realised it was her chance to move on and then eventually she began developing feelings for him. She didn't know if she loved him but when he told her that he did on impulse she told him that she loved him back because she didn't want to hurt him. Ever since she began telling herself that she did love him; that she loved him enough to move in with him and eventually that she loved him enough to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him.

Once the two left Emily walked over to the small bar and grabbed the strongest drink they had; Hanna of course followed her best friend.

"You okay?" Hanna asked quietly as Emily downed the drink within seconds.

"Yup."

"Don't lie to me, Em. I know how you feel about her- "Emily looked down at her feet. "I know this hurts you."

"I'm trying to be happy for her- "Emily said as she took another drink. "But I just can't be, I hate this and I hate him. I just… I love her so much and she's happy with someone else." Tears began to blur Emily's vision.

"I know you do and usually my advice would be to tell her how you feel but I think we both know you can't do that. Em, the only thing I can say is don't do anything stupid that you might regret later on. Maybe you should distance yourself a bit from Ali until the wedding?" Hanna said as she tried to get the brunette to look in her eyes.

"No, I need to face this and get over it."

"Okay, just promise me that you'll talk to me more about this; keeping it to yourself will only make it worse."

"I promise." Hanna smiled at Emily but Emily just couldn't bring herself to smile back. "I think I'm going to go home, if Alison asks just make something up please." The blonde nodded and with that Emily left. When she walked out of the garden she found Alison sitting by herself on the steps of her front porch. The blonde noticed her and seemed to wipe away a tear.

"Leaving already? Is the party that bad?" Ali asked with a slight giggle.

"No, I'm just not feeling well." The brunette said as she sat down beside the blonde. "Ali, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"The smudged mascara is telling me something different." Ali quickly began to wipe her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's just Elliott, we got into a bit of a fight."

"Over what?"

"The party and the wedding, he said that I seem to not want all of this." Alison said as she looked down at her lap and played with her hands.

"Do you?" Emily prayed that the answer is no and as mean as that sounds, she wanted Alison to be the happiest she has ever been and she knew that she could feel that way with Emily.

"What?"

"Do you want all of this?" Alison paused and carefully thought about her answer. The blonde wanted to get married, she always had; ever since she was little she began imagining and planning her perfect wedding. So, the answer seemed to be yes. Even if it didn't exactly feel right to be marrying Elliott but she figured there would always be a part of her that is hesitant about it.

As the words left Alison's mouth it felt as though Emily's heart had been ripped out of her chest and torn into pieces.

"Then tell him that, show him that you do want all of this." The blonde became sad by those words; there was a huge part of her that wanted Emily to confess her love for her so that they could live happily ever after but she didn't; instead she gave her good advice like any good friend would. The thing is though, Emily wanted to confess her feelings for Alison so badly but if this was what the blonde wanted she had to respect that and be a good friend.

"I will, thanks." Alison said with a sad smile as she got up and left; neither of them could be around each other right now because they both new it wouldn't end well; one of them would get hurt. But oh, what could have been if they actually knew they both felt the same way about each other? I guess we won't know.


	5. Chapter 5:- The Plan

It had been just over a week since the engagement party and Emily hadn't spoken to Alison since their chat on the porch. Of course, the brunette missed the blonde and the blonde missed the brunette but right now wasn't a good idea for them to be together.

It was a nice morning so Emily decided to take a walk to The Brew whilst her mom went away to work. She walked in and the smell of coffee immediately painted a smile on her face. As she waited in the cue she looked around and immediately her eyes were drawn to a blonde girl. Alison. She was quietly sitting by herself at the very back, peacefully sipping her coffee. She seemed sad to Emily. As the blonde looked up she locked eyes with Emily's deep brown ones. A smiled appeared on her face and Emily couldn't help but smile back; she loved the blonde's smile.

Once Emily got her coffee, she hesitated for a minute but eventually walked over to the blonde.

"Hey." Emily said with a bright smile.

"Hi."

"Can I sit?"

"Of course."

"How come you're here alone?" Emily asked quietly.

"Um just wanted some alone time I guess."

"Oh, sorry; I'll leave then." As the brunette began getting up Ali grabbed her arm and stopped her. The feeling of the blonde's hand on Emily lit up fireworks inside of her.

"No, stay; I've always loved your company." Emily smiled.

"How are things between you and Elliott? I everything okay now?" Judging by Alison's face it wasn't.

"It's better but he's still not entirely convinced." Alison sighed; Emily couldn't deny that this kind of made her happy because it meant that the brunette still had a chance with the blonde but of course she was also upset because the love of her life was upset. "And I don't know why."

"Maybe I could talk to him?" Emily couldn't believe what had just left her mouth. _What the hell am I doing?!_ Was the only thing going through her head.

"You would?"

"Of course, you're my best friend; I would do anything for you." A huge smile filled Alison's face.

"Thank you." She said as she wrapped her arms around the blonde.

Soon Emily left and began mentally preparing herself for what was to come. Like the two planned, Emily showed up at Ali's house at 7 at which time Alison would be out at the "shops."

The brunette took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Oh, Emily. Nice to see you but Alison isn't in." Elliott said with surprise.

"Oh, will she back soon? I have to talk to her about the wedding."

"Um yeah, you can come in and wait if you like." Emily gave Elliott a thankful smile and walked in.

"So, how are you and Alison? She seems a bit off lately."

"We're ok, going through a small argument but we'll get through it."

"Can I ask what the argument is about?" Elliott sighed and hesitated.

"You." He honestly replied. Emily's mouth fell open; she couldn't believe what she had heard.

"Since you came back, Alison has seemed quite hesitant about the wedding and I honestly don't know why." Emily didn't know what to say; she was stunned.

"I- uh, look Elliott, Ali loves you and she does want to marry you. I don't why she seems hesitant but she wants this."

"Thank you, Emily." Elliott gave the brunette a thankful smile. And just as they planned Alison came home.

"Oh, hey." She said as she pretended to be surprised.

"Hey, babe." Elliott went up to Ali and kissed her; Emily had to look away because it was too painful to look at the love of her life kiss someone else. When they pulled away Alison seemed strange; like she didn't want to kiss Elliott. Something was off and Emily could feel it. Maybe Elliott was right; maybe Alison didn't want to get married.

"Hi, Em. What are you doing here?" The blonde said with a smile.

"Hey, I came by to talk to you about the wedding."

"Oh, yeah. Come one." Alison walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses then went into the garden. Emily followed her, slightly confused. The two sat down and stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"Did he believe you?"

"I think so, yeah." Alison nodded but something still didn't feel right about her behaviour when the wedding or Elliott were mentioned.

"Good."

"Ali, what's going on?" Emily couldn't hold back anymore after everything she had seen and heard.

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever Elliott or the wedding are mentioned, you act strange. What's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing it's just stress." The brunette knew straight away that the blonde was lying and that there was a bigger issue behind this behaviour.

"Right." Soon after Emily left and the whole way home she couldn't stop thinking about what Elliott said to her. _Why would I be the reason behind Alison acting weird? It's not like there has ever been anything between us._ Emily feeling confused was an understatement. _Is there a possibility that she does have feelings for me? No, that's stupid she's with Elliott._ If only she knew how Alison really feels about her.


	6. Chapter 6:- Mistakes

For the next week and a half Emily avoided Alison; if she really was the reason behind Ali's strange behaviour then she didn't want to cause any more problems between Ali and Elliott. Since there was only a week and a half until the wedding she figured it couldn't be much harder to avoid her for that time. Well she was wrong.

"Emily?" A voice said behind her as she walked down the side walk. She turned around to find the blonde she was trying to stay away from.

"Ali, hi."

"How come I've not seen you in a while?" The blonde asked as she walked beside the brunette. Ali really missed the brunette's presence over the past week and a half; it sort of felt to her that she had something missing in her life.

"I've just been busy spending as much time as I can with my mom." Ali smiled. She loved Pam. She was like a second mom to her; whenever she needed advice or help she would always be there for her whether or not Emily was in Rosewood.

"Aw say hi for me, I haven't seen her in a while."

"I will." For a minute, awkward silence filled the air between them.

"Em?" Alison stopped walking and confusion filled Emily's face. Something had been bothering for a long, long time and over the past week not seeing Emily left her really think about it. And before Emily knew it, the blonde crashed their lips together. It took a few seconds for Emily to figure out what was happening and to kiss the blonde back. She was stunned, shocked, surprised and happy. Their lips moved in sync and fit perfectly together; like they were made for each other. But before Emily knew it the kiss was over.

"I'm sorry, this was a mistake." The blonde said as she began running away. Emily had no clue what had just happened; first she kissed her and now ran away. _Does Alison have feeling for me?_ Was the main thought in her head but the feeling of kissing the blonde's soft lips also filled her mind.

"Mom, mom? Where are you?"

"In the kitchen, honey." Emily ran into the kitchen and began ranting; "Alison kissed me." Pam's filled with shock for a second but it was like she wasn't surprised at all. Emily told her mom the full story; her feelings, everything with Elliott, the wedding, Ali's behaviour and then the kiss. Pam listened carefully and after Emily finished she stayed silent.

"Mom? I need advice, please." Emily pleaded.

"Have you just noticed that Alison loves you?" Emily was shocked.

"What?"

"Sweetie, that girls loved you since the first day she met you but has never been brave enough to tell you. However, that didn't mean that people such as myself didn't notice. Now that she's getting married and you're back, those feelings are coming back and she doesn't want to make a mistake."

"She said herself that kissing me was a mistake." Pam smiled.

"Yes, because she is with Elliott and doesn't want to hurt him; she may not love him but she does care about him." Emily sighed.

"What do I do?"

"Nothing." Pam simply replied.

"What?" Emily was beyond confused.

"Alison needs to decided what she wants to do and you can't affect that decision in anyway; she needs to find the answer on her own and you'll need to respect it whatever it may be."

"Okay, I'll stay back. Thank you." Pam smiled and grabbed her daughters hand.

"It'll all work out, trust me." Emily smiled. All she could do now was wait. She prayed that Alison would choose her because her mom was right; Alison doesn't love Elliott, not in that way anyway.

As she lay on her bed deep in thought at half 3 in the morning her phone buzzed.

' _We need to talk. Our spot at 4.'_

Dread filled Emily, she got out of her bed and began walking to the kissing rock.

When she got there, there was no one to be found. But suddenly the bushes behind her rustled and out came the blonde she was waiting for. A look of guilt filler her face as she saw the brunette.

"Hi." Emily quietly said.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Kissing you, I shouldn't have done that." Emily sighed; it's not what she wanted to hear.

"Please, don't be sorry."

"I have to be because I'm engaged, I can't do this to Elliott." Tears began filling Ali's eyes; she hated this so much but she had to do the right thing even if it felt wrong.

"Ali-"

"No, please don't Emily; I know what you're going to say but I love Elliott."

"Do you? Because I don't believe that you do." By this point, Alison was crying and Emily had to hold back her tears.

"I don't know! I don't know, okay! But I'm not going to hurt him like this!"

"So, you prefer to marry him and be unhappy instead of being with me?"

"Please, please don't make me choose like this; I can't, I can't do it." And with that Alison left. Emily was furious; she was mad because of what Alison said but also because she didn't follow her mom's advice and she just made things worse. Devastated she sat down on the rock and looked at their initials; they brought back so many good memories. How did they let it come to this?


	7. Chapter 7:- The Wedding

The day of the wedding had come. Ever since the fight Emily and Alison didn't talk to each other once. They did see each other on the street once but all they did was walk by each other like they were complete strangers. It hurt both of them to do it; they hated this more than you could imagine but they were both angry and like you may know, both very stubborn.

As Emily looked into her bathroom mirror she herself could see the dread filling her face. Honestly, she even considered not going to the wedding but how could she do that to her best friend? She was going to have to suck it up and go but she was not planning on staying long.

Alison woke up and excitement, fear and sadness filled her all at the same time. She still didn't know if she was sure about getting married especially after suddenly kissing Emily.

"Ali, wake up! You need to start getting ready!" Hanna screamed as she ran into Ali's bedroom.

"Spencer, get the make-up. Aria, grab her some clothes. And where the hell is Emily? She's supposed to be helping! Ugh." Hanna passed Ali a glass of mimosa and proceeded to boss everyone around. For a minute, Ali sat and thought about whether she really wanted to go through with this but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by Hanna;

"Call Em for me and find out where she is please, we need her." Ali sighed; this as definitely something she was not wanting to be doing right now but since she knew Hanna very well, she went and done what she was told.

Emily looked at her phone which was buzzing on her table and sighed; she didn't want to pick up and so she didn't. She knew exactly where she was supposed to be right now. The blonde groaned as the phone went to voice mail. "Really, Emily?" The stubborn blonde continued to call the brunette until she picked up.

"I heard you call the first time and I ignored you; take a hint." Emily spat down the phone.

"Yes, but if you haven't forgot you're supposed to be here helping; Hanna is furious." Emily sighed.

"Well sorry but after everything that happened I figured you'd be happier without me." Alison couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"I am never happy without you, Em! And I'm sorry about what happened but you need to understand why I made that decision." The line went silent for a second; Emily began to feel guilty.

"I'm sorry; I get it, it's just taking me awhile to deal with it. I'll be over at yours soon."

"Thank you, Em." And with that Emily left her house; she knew today wouldn't be all smoothing sailing but she was going to have to deal with it.

"Emily, finally! Now move your ass and help, whatever her name is." The blonde shouted as Emily walked into the crowded room. Hanna pointed to a small blonde -who Emily didn't recognise- sorting Ali's jewellery for the day; of course, the brunette did as she was told.

"How bad as she been?" Emily asked with a sigh.

"Bad, she is the bossiest person I have ever worked with and I'm in the wedding industry." Emily laughed.

"I'm not surprised. I'm Emily, by the way."

"Ashley." The blonde replied with a shy smile. The two began chatting and seemed to sort of hit it off; Alison noticed and was most definitely jealous.

"Who is Emily talking to?" Ali asked without even taking her eyes off of the brunette.

"Hmm, I don't know; someone from the wedding team you hired." Aria replied as she helped with Ali's make up.

Hours seemed to fly by and eventually Alison was left by herself waiting to walk down the aisle. She was extremely nervous; she slowly breathed in and out repeatedly.

"Ali, you look beautiful." A man said behind her in awe.

"Jason, you made it!" The blonde ran into her brother's arms.

"Are you ready to do this?" Ali looked in the mirror once more and nodded.

Slowly and to the music Ali walked down the aisle with her brother. Elliott smiled; he couldn't believe how beautiful the blonde was. Ali looked up at him and wondered whether she was doing the right thing. She looked at her bridesmaids and her eyes quickly fell to a specific brunette; _damn, she looked stunning_ the blonde thought to herself but before she could admire Emily anymore, she found herself at the altar.

Alison looked at Elliott and smiled, yet something didn't feel right. Looking into his eyes she didn't see a future there with him. Yes, she loved him but she questioned if it was in that way. Her thoughts began to torment her. As Emily watched her heart sank, this hurt her beyond words; the love of her life was marrying someone she would never be fully happy with. She hated this situation and wished she wasn't standing where she was.

"And so, Elliott Rollins, do you take this woman to be your beloved wife?" The priest said drawing both Emily and Alison out of their thoughts.

"I do." He replied straight away with a smile.

"And, Alison DiLaurentis, do you take this man to be your husband?" The blonde went silent. She looked at the priest and then at Elliott. She sighed; "No, I don't. I'm so sorry." She said before running out. Emily couldn't believe what had just happened; she felt sorry for Elliott yet she couldn't hide her smile. All three of the girls began looking at each other and finally Emily decided to go after the blonde.

The brunette found her best friend sitting in her room looking at herself in the mirror; Emily thought Ali hadn't noticed her but she had.

"I couldn't go through with it." She whispered softly. "I hate that I hurt him but I just couldn't; I don't love him in that way."

"I know." Emily said as she sat down beside the blonde. Ali looked into Emily's eyes and she could see everything she ever wanted. She leaned in and kissed the brunette; straight away Emily kissed back. The kiss became passionate very quickly until Ali pulled away; she had a few things she needed to say.

"Em, I love you." A grin grew on Emily's face. "I'm sorry that I couldn't admit that before this but I wanted to do the right thing and I didn't think about the consequences." Emily grabbed the blonde's hand.

"Don't be sorry, I get what you were trying to do." Ali smiled sadly; she wanted to hear three specific words from the brunette but they just didn't seem to be coming. "Ali, you need to sort everything with Elliott if we are to move on. He went to Ezra's apartment." Alison sighed; Emily was right she need to sort this.

The blonde got up and made her way to the bathroom to quickly get changed. Just before she closed the door Emily spoke up again.

"Oh and by the way I love you too if that wasn't already clear." She said with a smirk; a huger smile appeared on Alison's face.

"I knew it, I was right this whole time!" Emily shot up from her chair and Ali came out of the bathroom.

"Elliott-"

"No, Alison! How could you do this to me?"

"I never wanted to hurt you, you need to understand that."

"Yet you did and then you embarrassed me at the altar!"

"Elliott, she never meant for this to happen."

"She knew since the day you came back that she had some sort of feelings for you and she still went through with the wedding. Do not tell me that she didn't know what she was doing, Emily."

"I thought I loved you and I do but I realised it just wasn't in that way and I am so sorry; you do not understand how bad I feel about this."

"Whatever, Alison. I'll come by tomorrow to get my stuff and you'll never see me again." And with that Elliott left. Neither of the woman knew what to say; they never imagined everything to play out like this.

"I think I'll just go." The brunette turned around and began walking away but the blonde quickly grabbed her arm. "No, stay, please." Emily could see the hurt in Alison's eyes, they begged her to stay and Emily could never leave her. "Ok."

After the two got changed in silence, they went downstairs and put on a move to fill the silence that had filled the two as they sat on the couch. Suddenly the blonde out her head down on the brunette's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Em."

"For what?"

"This mess, I should have left Elliott as soon as I realised I loved you again." Emily kissed the top of the blonde's head which formed a small smile on her face. "It's ok."

"Can you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course, I will." Emily said with a smile. The blonde kissed the brunette passionately. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day the two thought as they pulled away.


	8. Chapter 8:- Awkward Silence

The blonde woke up in the warm embrace of the brunette on her couch. For the first time in a long-time Alison felt safe; somehow with Emily's arms around her she felt like nothing bad could happen. But that was until she remembered Elliott is supposed to come over to get his stuff. A groan suddenly escaped her mouth which woke up Emily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you; go back to sleep because I'm really enjoying this." Emily smiled and let out a light giggle.

"I don't need to be asleep to cuddle with you, it's actually much better when I'm awake." The blonde couldn't help but smile.

"We're going to need to get up soon."

"I know, are you ready for this?"

"No, but I'll manage with you." A smile formed on the brunette's face; the circumstances weren't how she wanted them to be when they got together but she was just glad that they were finally together.

"Come on, let's get ready." Emily said as she began getting up.

"Do we have to?" Alison began to moan. "Yes, yes we do." Emily pressed a quick kiss on Alison's lips which left her wanting more. The brunette stood up and the blonde quickly followed. Before Emily could walk upstairs the blonde grabbed her arm and pressed a kiss on her lips. Quickly it became heated and made them want more but they were rudely interrupted by the doorbell. The two looked at each other, a look of horror filled the blondes face; she really wasn't ready for this.

"Come in." The blonde said as she opened the door for Elliott. As he walked in he did not at all seem surprised by the fact that Emily was sitting on the couch in Alison's pyjamas.

"Emily."

"Elliott, hi." Awkward silence filled the room; no one knew what to say.

"I'm going to go pack my stuff." Elliott eventually said. As he went upstairs the two women felt as though they could finally breathe again. Alison stood alone in the door way and still couldn't quite get over the fact of how fast her life suddenly change.

"Ali, you okay?" The words drew the blonde out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Emily stood up and walked over to the blonde.

"You know you can talk to me? I'm here whenever you need me." A smile formed on Alison's face.

"I know, thank you." The blonde gave the brunette a peck on the lips. Luckily, they pulled away just before Elliott came down to put away his first bag in his car.

Over the next two hours Elliot walked up and down the stairs with bags as Emily and Alison quietly sat and watched TV in the living room.

"I'm done." Alison got up off the couch at the words. She looked at Elliott and saw the pain in his eyes. She had been feeling so guilty and this just made it worse. She hated making people upset; after high school, she swore she would try her best to never hurt anyone but she had failed. Seeing someone she deeply cares about this hurt because of her hurt her more than she could ever imagine.

"I'm really sorry, Elliott. I honestly never meant for any of this to happen."

"Yeah, I know. I'll see you around Alison." And with that he left. Suddenly a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I will be anyway." After a moment of silence a thought came to Alison's mind and she couldn't ignore it. "But we need to talk." The brunette nodded ad they sat back down on the couch.

"Em, you know that I love you-" A smile formed on the brunette's face. "But I have just broken off an engagement and even though I didn't love him like I thought I did this is still though. I don't know how fast I can move on with whatever this is."

"This is whatever you want it to be and we will go at whatever speed you feel comfortable at." The blonde leaned in and passionately kissed the brunette.

"I want us to be together and I want to take it slow for now."

"Then that's what we will be and what we will do." The brunette said with a smile which the blonde could only mirror.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


End file.
